Method of graining



March 17, 1959 c. J. ERNST METHOD OF GRAINING Filed March 18, 1954 United States Patent O N' METHOD OF GRAINING Carl J. Ernst, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application March 18, 1954, Serial No. 416,983

Claims. (Cl. 41-26) This invention relates generally to a method of painting, and more particular to an improved method of simulating the natural grain of Wood or similar design.

The occasion often arises when it lis desired to simulate the natural grain of wood by painting the design on the surface to be finished. An accepted method of achieving such design has been to cover the surface with the light color of the wood, and after this coat has dried, the grain Vis painted onto the light color with the aid of graining combs. To achieve accurate reproduction of the natural grain by this method requires outstanding artistic ability, it being especially diiicult to imitate the more or less arcuate grain surrounding a knot in the wood.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved method of painting a design on a surface.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of creating the design of natural grain of wood on a surface.

Another object is to provide a method of painting the design yof wood grain which produces a more realistic appearance.

Another object is to provide an improved method' of artificially simulating the natural finish of wood.

Another object is to provide a method of creating the design of natural wood grain requiring a minimum lof artistic skill on the part of the operator.

A further object is to provide a method of creating the design of natural wood grain utilizing a stencil for reproducing the arcuately shaped grain.

A further object is to improve the realistic appearance of a design by utilizing a stencil for removing wet paint from the exposed areas rather than applying it to these areas.

A still further object is to provide a simple and inexpensive method for artificially creating the design of natural wood grain on a surface.

According to this invention the improved method of simulating the natural grain of wood comprises covering the surface with a coat of the darker color which will `finally appear as the grain of the wood. This lirst coat is`allowed to dry, and then is completely covered with a second coat of paint which is to serve as the lighter color of the design. The second coat of light color is permitted to become slightly tacky, when a stencil is placed upon it in those areas where an arcuately shaped grain is to be reproduced. The stencil has openings represent- Patented Mar. 17, 1959 The foregoing and other object of the invention, which will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, may be achieved by means of the method described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a panel illustrating a natural wood grain design which may be produced by the method of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of a stencil utilized to create a portion of the wood grain design depicted in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a View in front elevation of a graining comb which may be used to form that portion of the grain design shown in Figure l which is not obtained with the stencil of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a paint roller for applying the pore marks of the grain design shown in Figure l.

The method of the present invention will be described in connection with the natural wood grain design illustrated on the panel in Figure l, this being the type of design for which the method is especially intended, as it produces a natural wood grain design of exceptionally realistic appearance with a minimum of artistic skill. Of course, it is to be understood that the grain design is illustrated in Figure 1, by necessity, in black and white, while in actual practice the colors of the desired vfinish will be utilized. However, in Figure l, the white area of the design represents the light color of the natural grain, while the black lines and shaded area represent the darker color of the natural grain design.

After the surface upon which the design is vto be created has been properly prepared in whatever manner may be necessary for the particular surface,1 the rst step of the present method is performed which comprises applying a solid coat of the darker color of the grain design. This is contrary to the usual practice of applying a solid coat of the lighter color first, and painting the grain design on to the light color with the darker color,

` but is done specifically for the purpose of obtaining a ing arcuately shaped wood grain, and' the surface exposed by such openings is brushed to remove the light color from these areas and reveal the darker color of the first coat of paint. When this step is completed, a graining comb covered with cloth is utilized for removing the light color in lines to represent the straighter grain of wood. The entire surface is then brushed with a dry brush to blend the two colors to avoid sharp lines of demarcation. The second coat is allowed to dry, and the entire surface may be given a coat of varnish or other transparent finish to protect it.

identilied by the reference numeral 10 in Figure l.

narrow sections.

realistic appearance as will be later described.

After the first coat of the darker color is thoroughly dry it is covered completely with a coat of graining glaze, pigmented to represent the ground or lighter color of the grain. Although other compositions of graining glaze may be used, it has been found that a suitable pigment in a'vehicle composed of one part by volume of oil, two parts of turpentine and one part of kerosene will function very satisfactorily for use in performing the method of the present invention. The kerosene in the vehicle operates to retard the drying action, and

thereby render it particularly adaptable for practicing the present method.

Before the coat of light color has dried, the grain design is produced by removing portions of the coat of light color to expose the darker color underneath in the design of wood grain. That portion of the grain generally surrounding a knot in the Wood followsla somewhat arcuate path as illustrated in the area generally This portion of the grain design is the most difficult to reproduce, and is achieved in the present method with the aid of a stencil depicted in Figure 2 and generally identified by the reference numeral 11.

The stencil 11 is comprised of a sheet 12 of suitable material, celluloid having been found to function very satisfactorily for this purpose. The grain design is cut out of the sheet 12 to form openings 13, and because of the nature of the design, some of the more central areas of the sheet 12 are completely separated from the main body of the sheet 12 or connected thereto by very The stencil 11 is therefore reinforced with lengths of filament or thread 14 cemented tothe sheet. surface, the grains of sand have only point contact with '.tothe same degree in all areas. .moval of the light color may be also readily controlled 3 sheet 12 to hold it together. Nylon thread has been found to function very satisfactorily for this purpose, as the requisite strength may .be obtained with line gauge `thread which by reason of its frneness will not linterfere with forming the design on the surface through the openings13 in the sheet l2.

The stencil 11 is placed upon the second coatof light color before it has dried, and if the sheet 12 were placed directly in contact with this wet paint, it would have a tendency to smudge the paint with much of the paint adherring to the bottom of the sheet l2. To avoid this,

grains of sand 18, or similar particles, are glued to the bottom ofthe sheet 12 being widely dispersed labout the When the stencil 11 is placed upon the painted the wet paint and support the sheet 11 `directly above the wet paint to prevent smudging the paint. The grains of sand have in effect only point contact with the paint,

:and therefore produce no adverse effects on the finish.

As described, the surface upon which the design is to v'be created has at this point been coated with darker color ,0f the design which has been allowed to dry. A second coat of paint of the lighter color of the design has then been applied over the darker color. While this second coat is still wet, the stencil 11 is placed upon it in those areas where the arcuate shaped grain is to be reproduced. The areas of the surface exposed by the openings 13 of the stencil 11 are then brushed to remove the light color from them and expose the darker color underneath.

After all the areas exposed by the openings 13 have been ktreated in this manner, the stencil 11 is removed leaving the arcuate grain design 10 reproduced on the surface. With the arcuate grain created in selected Yareas on the surface, the straighter grain of wood is produced on the pose the darker color in the desired design to form the ystraighter grain as represented by the lines 27 in Figure 1.

The term straighter in describing the grain 27,*is

.used relatively, of course, in that it does not follow a `pronounced arcuate path as does the grain 10. However, `it does follow a more or less curvilinear path Vas illustrated in Figure 1, and the width of the grain will vary as it progresses. Such varying width of grain is produced simply by varying the angle of the graining comb 23 as it is drawn across the surface, this being the well established method of using the graining comb 23 in reproducing the grain of wood. After the straighter grain 27 has been completed with the graining comb 23, the -en- 'tire-.surface is brushed lightly while the second coat is still wet, to further blend the two colors Aand eliminate `any sharp lines of demarcation between the two colors ,and thereby increase the realistic appearance ofthe degn. 4It has been found that the above described method of .reproducing the natural grain of wood produces a design vofexceptional realistic appearance. -.for the arcuately .shaped grain emanating from a knot,

By utilizing 4a stencil a much truer grain formation maybe obtained. In Vaddition, the system of wiping away the light color to expose the darker undercoat in a definite graindesign produces the typical shading of natural grain since the light color .willnot be completely removed, and will not be removed Furthermore, the reby the operator so that the darker color will appear in Yvarying intensity tinged with the light colorallin accord- 'eance with the true appearance of natural IWood grain.

Thus the natural effect is produced to a degree not readily obtainable by the conventional methods of wood graining, and is obtained with a minimum requirement of artistic skill on the part of the operator.`

Some types of wood include short lines of varying length in their grain, referred to in the art as pore marks, and identied in Figure l by the reference numeral 30. The pore marks 30 may be applied after the second coat of light color has dried, but it has been found that a much more realistic appearance is obtained if they are painted on the lirst coat of darker color, and allowed to dry before applying the second coat. Ilhey will then appear faintly through the second coat of paint, and much more pronounced in those areas where the second coat has been wiped away to form the grain design. This conforms to their natural appearance and adds to the realism of the entire design` The pore marks 30 may be applied with the assistance -of'the apparatus illustrated in Figure 4, and specifically designed for this purpose. It comprises a bracket 33 fixed to a handle 34 by means of which the apparatus is manipulated. A felt covered roller 3S is rotatably mounted on the bracket 33, and functions to feed paint Yto the edges of a series of discs 36.

The discs 36 are also rotatably mounted on the .bracket 33 in position so that their edges are in frictional contact with the felt roller 33. The peripheries of the discs 36 are interrupted by breaks 37 at irregular intervals to form arcs of varying lengths. The arcuate edges of the discs 36 may also be bent slightly at random for true reproduction of the pore marks as they appear in the wood.

Suitable spacers (not shown) are interposed between the discs 36 to separate them from each other.

In operation, the felt roller 3S is iilled with paint, vand the discs 36 are rolled along the surface upon which the grain has been produced. As the discs 36 are rolled along the surface, their rotational movement causes a similar rotation of the felt roller 35 by reason of their frictional contact therewith. The arcuate edges of the discs 36 pick `up paint from the roller 35 as they come in contact with it, and transfer the paint to the surface along which they are being rolled, to leave the impressions 30 thereon,

`of varying length and conguration to represent the pore marks which appear in the natural grain of some types of wood. l

Summarizing, the method of painting described above, the first step is to prepare a smooth surface upon which the design is to be reproduced, and apply a coat of paint 'pigmented to represent the darker color of the grain design. When the irst coat is thoroughly dried, the pore marks are added and permitted to dry when the entire surface is completely covered with a second -coat of paint pigmented to represent the lighter color of the grain design. While the second coat is still wet, a stencil having openings shaped in accordance with the more arcuately l-shaped grain is placed `upon the surface in selected areas where this type of graining is desired. That portion of the surface which Iis exposed by the openings in the stencil is then brushed to remove the second coat of light color in those areas, and reveal the darker undercoat and thereby form the grain design.

The straighter shaped grain is formed in the vremaining areas -with the aid of a graining comb covered with .cloths to wipe away the light color in straghter lines of `varying width. The entire surface is then brushed lightly with a dry brush before the second coat has thoroughlyA 'dried to further blend the colors and avoid sharp linesof demarcation. The second coat Iis then allowed to dry. In this manner the natural grain -of wood is reproduced to achieve ,an exceptionally realistic appearance without the exercise 'of outstanding artistic ability, and the design may b e completed in less time than is normally required for conventional methods.

.-Erom .the'foregoing detailed description of an-exem plary process representative 'of the process comprising the present invention, it is apparent that a new and improved method has been provided for painting a natural wood grain design on a surface in which an exceptionally realistic appearance is obtained with the exercise of a minimum of artistic ability.

Although the illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described lin considerable detail for the purpose of making a full disclosure of a practical application of the invention, it is to be understood that the various novel features of the invention may be utilized in other applications Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

The principles of the invention having now been fully explained in connection with the foregoing description of embodying structure, I hereby claim as my invention:

l. The method of artificially reproducing the natural grain design of wood upon a surface which comprises, covering the surface with a first coat of paint of the darker color in accordance with the color of the grain lines of the wood, permitting said first coat of paint to dry, covering said first coat of paint with a second coat of paint of the lighter color in accordance with the basic color of the wood, placing a stencil upon the second coat of paint before it has dried, said stencil having openings in accordance with the desired grain des-ign, removing the second coat tof paint from the areas exposed by the openings in said stencil to reveal the darker undercoat representing the grain lines of the wood to thereby form the grain design on said surface, and brushing the entire surface over lightly with a dry brush before the second coat has dried to blend the two colors at their junction lines only and thereby eliminate sharp lines of demarcation.

2. The method of artificially reproducing the natural grain design of wood upon a surface which comprises, covering the surface with a coat of paint of the color of the grain lines of the wood, permitting said first coat of paint to dry, painting in lines of varying length to represent the pore marks yof the grain, permitting the pore marks to dry, covering said first coat of paint and pore marks with a second coat of paint of a color in accordance with the basic color of the wood, placing a stencil upon the second coat of paint before it has dried, said stencil having openings conforming to the desired grain design, removing the second coat of paint from the areas exposed by the openings in said stencil to reveal the first coat of paint in accordance with the pattern of the grain lines of the wood to thereby form the grain design on said surface, brushing the entire surface over lightly with a dry brush before the second coat has dried to blend the two colors at their juncture lines only and thereby eliminate sharp lines of demarcation, and permitting the second coat of paint to dry.

3. The method of artificially reproducing the natural grain design of wood upon a surface which comprises, covering the surface with a coat of paint of the color of the grain lines of the wood permitting said first coat of paint to dry, painting in lines of varying length upon said first coat of paint to represent the po-re marks of the grain, permitting the pore marks to dry, covering said first coat of paint and pore marks with a second coat of paint of a color in accordance with the basic color of the wood, placing a stencil upon the second coat of paint before it has dried, said stencil having openings conforming in configuration to the complex grain design surrounding a knot in the wood, removing the second coat of paint from the areas exposed by the openings in said stencil to reveal the rst coat of paint in accordance with the pattern of the grain lines of the wood to thereby form the complex portion of the grain design,

removing the second coat lof paint in lines from the area surrounding the complex grain design without the aid of a stencil in accordance with 'the pattern of the grain lines of the wood to form the simpler portion of the grain design, brushing the entire surface lightly with a dry brush to blend the two colors at their juncture lines only and thereby eliminate sharp lines of demarcation, and permitting the second coat of paint to dry.

4. The method of artificially reproducing the natural grain design of wood upon a surface which comprises, covering the surface with a first coat of paint of the darker color representing the color of the grain lines of the wood, permitting said first coat of paint to dry, painting in lines of varying length upon said first coat of paint to represent the pore marks of the grain, permitting said pore marks to dry, covering said first coat of paint and pore marks with a second coat of paint of the lighter color representing the basic color of the wood, said second coat of paint comprising a mixture of pigment in a vehicle composed of one part by volume of oil, two parts by volume of turpentine and one part by volume `of kerosene, removing the second coat of paint in the pattern of the desired grain design to reveal the dark color underneath in accordance with the pattern of the grain lines of the wood thereby forming the grain design on the surface, brushing the entire surface over lightly with a dry brush while said second coat of paint is wet to blend the two colors at their juncture lines only and thereby eliminate sharp lines of demarcation, and permitting the second coat of paint to dry, whereby the natural appearance of wood is obtained.

5. The method of artificially reproducing the natural grain design of Wood upon a surface which comprises, covering the surface with a coat of paint of the color of the grain lines of the wood, permitting said first coat of paint to dry, painting in lines of varying length upon said first coat of paint to represent the pore marks of the grain, permitting the pore marks to dry, covering said first coat of paint and pore marks with a second coat of paint of a color in accordance with the basic color of the wood, said second coat `of paint comprising a mixture of pigment, oil, turpentine and kerosene, plac ing a stencil upon the second coat of paint before it has dried, said stencil having openings conforming in configuration to the complex grain design surrounding a knot in the wood, removing the second coat of paint from the areas exposed by the openings in said stencil to reveal the first coat of paint in accordance with the pattern of the grain lines of the wood to thereby form the complex portion of the grain design, removing the second coat of paint in lines from the area surrounding the complex grain design without the aid of a stencil in accordance with the pattern of the grain lines of the wood to form the simpler portion of the grain design, brushing the entire surface lightly with a dry brush to blend the two colors at their juncture line only and thereby eliminate sharp lines of demarcation, and permitting the second coat of paint to dry.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ernst I une l, 

